Gender Parity in the Public Sector and Human Development : A Comparative Analysis in Federal States of Mexico

Based on the theories of critical mass and stakeholders, this article analyzes the effect of gender parity in the local parliaments and mayoralties of the Federal States of Mexico on the sub-national human development index, which is made up of three dimensions: education, health and standard of living. Using a study sample composed by 288 observations during the 2010-2018 period and a balanced data panel, the results show that the participation of women in local parliaments has a favorable effect on two sub-indexes of human development: life expectancy and expected years of schooling. Similarly, a critical mass level of women between 20%-30% in mayoralties increases the human development index in its dimensions of standard of living, education, gross national income (GNI) per capita and average years of schooling. These results suggest that gender parity has a positive effect on budget allocation and the level of human development